'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star Dakota Mortensen talks "sh-tshow" reunion and his sobriety

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Dakota Mortensen has addressed his defensive, jumpy and nervous behavior during the Season 3 reunion.


Dakota took to Instagram on Tuesday, December 9 to "clear up a few things" after The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion show, admitting he'd been "struggling" up to that point.

"Obviously, the reunion thing was a sh-tshow. I think more whenever I see videos circulating of me claiming that I'm high or I relapsed," Dakota, 32, explained.

"There's very few things that I feel proud of when it comes to myself, and I think one of those is being Ever's dad and my recovery."

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives followed Dakota and new The Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul navigating their relationship and co-parenting their 20-month-old son after their 2024 breakup.


During the Season 3 reunion episode that was released December 4 on Hulu, Taylor's parents rejected Dakota's apology for sending inappropriate messages to their family friend while Taylor was pregnant.

Not only did Dakota storm off the stage, but he also appeared to make demands and act erratically.

"For me, I am proud of myself because I have stayed sober through some of the most hardest sh-t I've ever been through in my entire life," Dakota said in his video.

"And even in that situation or that setting, that is why it's so hard on me. I am actually facing a lot of those situations and settings sober for the first time ever in my life."

Dakota explained that his body was "in full flight or fight" mode throughout the entire reunion.


"I've been sober this whole time, and apparently, to everybody else in the world, I'm not, and honestly, it hurts," Dakota said.

The real estate agent also denied kicking the ladies off the stage when he filmed.

"And did I know her parents were going to be there? No. Did I know any of that was going to happen? No," he claimed.

"So that's called 'blindside, blindside, blindside, blindside.' I didn't even want that. I didn't even want to go. I also had a cease and desist, so when you see me stuttering trying to explain stuff, my bad."

Dakota added, "I've never had one of those in my life. I'm petrified. I don't know sh-t. So I'm sitting here, scared to death to say anything."


Dakota didn't clarify who had issued him a cease and desist.

"With that being said, I am super thankful for all the people that checked in on me and made sure that I was okay and didn't continue to just be bullies," Taylor's ex noted.

"I hope you guys never go through something really hard because I promise you I will never actually do what you guys have done to me, ever. I will never do that to you. When you're down, I will never sh-t on you when you're down, even if I don't like you."

Dakota recently threw shade at Taylor while she's away filming The Bachelorette's 22nd season.

In a December 2 TikTok post, Dakota wrote over footage of himself listening to a song in the car, "When you realized you can date 30 girls without being on a TV show."


The song included expletive-laced lyrics such as, "I mean where the f-ck should I really even start? / I've got h-es that I'm keeping in the dark."

Dakota captioned his shocking upload, "Finding love guys."

Dakota's post was largely met with backlash and disdain from Taylor's co-stars, friends and fans.

Taylor and Dakota split in late 2024 after more than two years of dating, although Taylor didn't confirm their breakup until earlier this year.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives showed Dakota and Taylor contemplating a reconciliation, but allegations Dakota had sexted Taylor's family friend ruined any chance of that happening.


Taylor also accused a former friend of sleeping with Dakota in late October.

Before Taylor began filming The Bachelorette, she admitted to Entertainment Tonight that she wouldn't be shocked if Dakota unexpectedly showed up on her season of the show.

Taylor's mother Liann May claimed this past fall on "The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast" that Taylor and Dakota still love each other and he'd probably sabotage her The Bachelorette season if given the chance.

Taylor, a divorced mother of three kids with two "baby daddies," welcomed her youngest son, Ever True, with Dakota in March 2024.

When The Bachelor alum Ashley Iaconetti asked if Dakota planned to be around during filming, Liann replied, "I'm hoping not."

Liann went on to reveal, "I said that he will mess the whole thing up for her. He will sabotage her whole experience."


"And so, I'm just like, 'If you can just keep him away, for at least those weeks, there might be some hope of her focusing in on this whole process of dating,'" she added.

Liann said Dakota's presence would be "very distracting" because Taylor still has feelings for him.

"Oh yeah, she so loves him," Liann revealed, "and I believe that he truly loves her."

Liann recalled Dakota being "really shocked" when he first discovered Taylor was going to be the Bachelorette.

"He's been like, 'Don't!' I think he doesn't want her to go on it. I know he's done videos saying otherwise, but I don't think he wants her to go on it," Liann said.

"Obviously he still loves her. I just don't feel like he loved her enough -- or at least, I mean he wouldn't have done the things that he did. So, I don't know."


Shortly after Taylor was officially announced as The Bachelorette star, Taylor admitted on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that she hooked up with Dakota after their breakup.

Taylor also admitted Dakota was going to find out about her The Bachelorette casting with the rest of the world because he was not high on her "priority" list.

"I don't know exactly how he'll react or feel," she said, "but he does know that we opened the gates of dating other people. [He'll] probably [be] sad... and that's probably going to be kind of hard to watch."

Several days later, Dakota expressed support for Taylor on social media.

"I am happy for Tay, and I hope she finds happiness," Dakota captioned a September 12 TikTok video.

Before getting romantically involved with Dakota, Taylor was married Tate Paul.


Taylor and Tate got married in 2016 and welcomed two children together: daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5.

Taylor had admitted to violating the rules of the couple's soft-swinging arrangement by becoming more intimate with another man in their friend group, which led to their separation and eventual May 2022 divorce.

The Bachelorette's 22nd season is set to premiere on Sunday, March 22 in 2026 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski